“He lived to paint and painted until the day he died, far removed from the noise of the art world.” reflects New York-based art dealer William Acquavella. The intense realist artist and acute observer gave each brushstroke purpose to uncover every nuance, every detail which in turn was thought unnerving. Markedly described as a talker for his skill of telling witty stories and anecdotes to his ‘models’ who posed for hours on end, all the while Lucian considered where to give his just cleaned-off brushstroke finality. The prolific artist had no restraint concerning his bias towards other artists like Leonardo da Vinci categorising him as a bad painter. Dante Gabriel Rossetti’s work was perhaps even more harshly slated by the opinionated Lucian who found his work to be “the nearest painting can get to bad breath”.

His masterpieces fetched astonishing prices during his career. An example is the painting of a voluptuous nude woman sleeping on a couch that drew an astonishing $33.6 million. He remained fervent to his approach of representational painting as opposed to Abstract Expressionism trending at the time, which was finally revered by critics and collectors alike. Nicholas Serota, director of the Tate, said: “The vitality of his nudes, the intensity of the still life paintings and the presence of his portraits of family and friends guarantee Lucian Freud a unique place in the pantheon of late 20th century art.” However Starr Figura, a curator at the Museum of Modern Art in New York notably remarks, “He has certainly divided critics”.

The legendary artist’s turning point came in the early 1960’s when he changed his style of his composition to one of intensity. 1992 saw a highlight in his career as people lined up to have their portraits solidified by his hand however uncomplimentary. Many have been caught on canvas in addition to the Queen, a nude pregnant Jerry Hall, the obese Australian performance artist, Leigh Bowery, Kate Moss naked and himself a year later represented as a scrawny nude in a pair of old boots.

Not only expressive with his brushstrokes, but also with his fists. “It wasn’t because I liked fighting, it was really just that people said things to me which I felt the only reply was to hit them.” Perhaps unexpected for a man awarded the fashion magazine GQ’s title of Britain’s Best Dressed Men while well into his mature years.

“I think his work is very charged, and it is quite disturbing to look at,” continues Figura. “That’s what gives people a problem and that’s what gives his work power and fascination. His work is incredibly personal, and that comes through. On the other hand it is also very detached and critical and that is what makes it so intense.” His works hang in renowned galleries ensuring that the legendary artist’s masterpieces continue to be viewed and critically appreciated.